The invention relates to an endless metal belt of the type which is subjected to varying bending and tensile stresses during operation.
Such an endless metal belt can be used e.g. as a conveyor belt or part of a conveyor belt group in a continuous variable transmission of the type described in U.S. Pat. Spec. No. 3,949,621, or in a transmission of the type described in U.S. Pat. Spec. No. 2,920,494. In both cases the belt is subjected to varying and often very great bending and tensile stresses during operation, which means that the belt is under very great mechanical strain; belt breakage is therefore not an uncommon occurrence. Such breakage means that the whole transmission immediately becomes unserviceable, with all the consequences which this entails.